Suspended Egerton VC Denies Corruption Allegations

Suspended Egerton University Vice-chancellor Prof Rose Awuor Mwonya has denied supervising a biased allocation of scholarships by senior university officials.

Prof Mwonya has said that the few scholarships available at the Njoro-based university are attached to projects and are awarded within the criteria of the respective donors.

“These scholarships are executed through the departmental and faculty committees and not by an individual,” explained Prof Mwonya.

Prof Mwonya, who was appointed Egerton University VC in January 2016, is facing corruption allegations.

She is accused of spending Sh44 million on a non-functional electric fence, a claim she has since denied.

ELECTRIC FENCE

“The non-functioning electric fence was executed between 2014 and 2015 by my predecessor Prof James Tuitoek,” she said.

She also dismissed claims that she invested Sh180 million in Ngongogeri university farm.

“Ngongogeri farm investment was executed in July 2012 for a four-year period under the previous administration. When I came in with the new council in 2016, the farm was not performing as expected and we appointed a new management in 2017,” said Prof Mwonya.

She also dismissed allegations that she authorized the construction of a Sh70 million gate.

“The plans for the construction of the gate was initiated in 2007 by the previous administration. Every year, funds were allocated for construction but the project never took off until I implemented it when I became the VC,” said Prof Mwonya.

NO ORDINARY GATE

She explained that the gate being constructed is not an ordinary gate.

“This is a complex which includes a mini supermarket for university farm produce, bookshop and security system and is almost complete,” said the VC.

She said this complex security system was given top priority following the terrorist attack at Garissa University.

Prof Mwonya clarified that no university official had converted self-sponsored students to government-sponsored students.

“This allegation had been subjected to Auditor General and Anti-corruption commission’s investigations between 2013 and 2014 and the university was given a clean bill of health,” said Prof Mwonya.

On the construction of the university library, she said this is a government-funded project with a separate funding.